Pape Clément rouge - Pessac-Léognan 2018

Vinous

96

byAntonio Gallonithe3/31/2021

The 2018 Pape Clément is such a beautiful and inviting wine. Silky, perfumed and layered, the 2018 shows the more restrained, vibrant style that has become the norm here in recent years. Red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice are front and center, while the oak - in the past so strong here - is really dialed back. The 2018 is going to be a fascinating wine to follow in the cellar over the next several decades. The purity of the flavors is just striking.

Wine Advocate

96

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/31/2021

The 2018 Pape Clement is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged for approximately 18 months in oak barriques, 60% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black cherries, stewed black plums and black raspberries, followed by suggestions of violets, star anise, cardamom and camphor with a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers exhilarating energy, offering crunchy black berry and exotic spice layers with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and mineral tinged. Still very primary, it will need a good 5 years in bottle to deliver that next-level experience and will drink over the next 30+ years. 96+

Jeb DUNNUCK

99

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/16/2021

Coming from 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak, the 2018 Château Pape Clement from Bernard Magrez is a gorgeous wine that's performing even better from bottle than barrel, which is always a good sign. Deep ruby/purple, with stunning crème de cassis and blackberry fruits as well as kaleidoscope-like notes of graphite, scorched earth, smoke, violets, and spring flowers, it offers full-bodied richness yet stays light on its feet, graceful, and almost ethereal on the palate, with integrated acidity and building yet seamless tannins. The Cabernet Sauvignon really sings at this point, and there's almost a Médoc-like regalness here. Reminding me of a slightly more elegant 2005 (it also has similarities to the 2016), it will benefit from 4-6 years in the cellar and keep for 30+ years.

The Wine Cellar Insider

97

byJeff Levethe3/16/2021

Deep in color, the wine is filled with smoke, licorice, tobacco, dark red fruits and cedar. Rich, full and with depth of flavor, the lush, round, ripe, sweet fruits hit the right notes you're looking for. Give it a decade before popping a cork and enjoy it over the next 20-25 years with ease. The wine was made from blending 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc.

Vinous

94

byNeal Martinthe3/12/2021

The 2018 Pape-Clément has a very intense nose of blackberry, briar, cedar and crushed flowers. That showiness that I commented upon in barrel has ebbed away to reveal a most sophisticated nascent wine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, layers of graphite-infused black fruit and a keen thread of acidity. An attractive touch of pitted black olive toward the saline finish leaves you wanting more. This deserves a decade in bottle, but it is a classy Pape-Clément that should age well over the next 30–40 years. Very promising.

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Molesworththe2/1/2021

A warm mocha note drapes elegantly over a prodigious core of steeped red and black currant and blackberry fruit while waves of black tea, anise, fruitcake and applewood fill in on the finish. Structure is serious and well-imbedded. Really well put together. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038. –JM

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Molesworththe1/26/2021

A warm mocha note drapes elegantly over a prodigious core of steeped red and black currant and blackberry fruit while waves of black tea, anise, fruitcake and applewood fill in on the finish. Structure is serious and well-imbedded. Really well put together. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038. — JM

Yvesbeck.wine

96

byYves Beckthe1/26/2021

Que d'équilibre et d'élégance dans le bouquet de Pape Clément 2018 ! Il présente de nombreuses facettes et, surtout, son élevage fait ce qu'il a à faire, soit d'accompagner le vin et non de le dominer ! Notes fruitées et épicées. La mise en bouche est fine et friande. Le vin se révèle en crescendo et est doté de tannins fins, compacts, serrés et parfaitement intégrés. Ils disposent de la carrure nécessaire pour assurer l'avenir et créer la symbiose avec l'acidité. Très belle réussite. Bravo à toute l'équipe.

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe1/12/2021

Aromas of wild blackberries, blueberries, dried lavender, cloves and eucalyptus with gravel and cocoa butter. It’s full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins. Polished and creamy with a core of ripe fruit that evolves to herbs, spices and chocolate. Fantastic concentration and seamless integration. Try from 2024.

Decanter.com

94

byJane Ansonthe1/12/2021

Wine Enthusiast

96

byRoger Vossthe1/5/2021

WeinWisser

18,5

byTjark Witzgallthe5/7/2019

Bettane & Desseauve

96-97

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2019

Certainement l’un des plus beaux pape-clément de l’histoire.

Vinous

93-96

byAntonio Gallonithe5/3/2019

The 2018 Pape Clément is dense, powerful, and brooding. In most vintages, Pape Clément is much more showy and inviting, but the 2018 is in no mood to show all of its cards. Instead, we find a Pape Clément that explodes with vertical intensity and lift. Captivating scents of gravel, smoke, leather, tobacco, chocolate and incense add layers of complexity. I can't wait to see how the 2018 ages. Today, it is super expressive. The blend is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. New oak is 45%. Tasted four times.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/1/2019

From Bernard Magrez’s flagship estate, the 2018 Château Pape Clément checks in as a tentative blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that will spend 18 months in 60% new French oak. This ripe, full-bodied, opulent beauty knocks it out of the park and boasts a saturated purple color to go with a monster bouquet of cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with notes of smoked earth, graphite, spicy oak, and spring flowers. Possessing ripe, silky tannins (and plenty of them), remarkable purity of fruit, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish, it ranks in the top tier in the vintage, and despite having the fruit to drink nicely in its youth, it’s going to age effortlessly. It might very well be the finest wine from this estate in the past decade or more. Tasted on three separate occasions.

Vinifera

94

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Très beau nez épicé, sur la ronce, fumé avec un élevage bien calibré. Bouche vineuse pleine de tanins au goût mûr, extraction ambitieuse mais le vin ne sèche pas, les tanins sont serrés, équilibre convaincant pour l'année. 

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

Opaque in color with shiny purple accents, the wine is loaded with smoke, tobacco leaf, cigar box and dark red fruits. The wine has depth and concentration but never feels heavy. There is enough acidity here to keep the wine lifted. The velvet tannins in the luxurious finish never feels over-blown this year. This is going to require at least a decade or more and will be worth the wait. The wine was made from blending 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The oak has been dialed back a bit and 5% of the harvest was aged in oak foudres, which helps aid in the freshness.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

This wine is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc to be aged for approximately 18 months in oak barriques, 60% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Pape Clement is a little closed, slowly unfurling to reveal fragrant earth, crushed rocks, iron ore and tobacco notions over a core of crushed red and black currants plus kirsch, red roses and Ceylon tea. Full-bodied and wonderfully vivacious, it offers a solid line of firm and fine-grained tannins and amazing freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced.

Wine Enthusiast

94-96

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2019

The wine is firm in stature yet shot through with vitalizing acidity. Its structure and full-bodied density are memorable and powerful. It has the potential for lengthy aging.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

This is a very driven Pape Clément with fantastic density and finesse at the same time. Linear and driven, the finish goes on for minutes with incredible tension and focus. More cabernet. Refinement with power.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

96

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Wine Spectator

95-98

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2019

This is really well put together, with waves of steeped plum, currant and raspberry fruit, bolts of licorice and tar and a long apple wood accent on the sappy finish.